


Twenty-four.

by poppyanemone



Category: Fate/Zero
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-20
Updated: 2018-06-20
Packaged: 2019-05-26 00:44:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14989058
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/poppyanemone/pseuds/poppyanemone
Summary: With more time, would you?





	Twenty-four.

**Author's Note:**

> This is fairly old, but the prompt I had been given was - If Waver had a limited amount of time to go back and see Iskandar.   
> I rolled with it and diddled a little drabble.

Second chances were far and few. They never seemed to happen for someone like himself, but he would take it while it was within his grasp. Their circumstances were reminiscent to the story of Cinderella. Waver was no princess, but he dreaded the midnight hour drawing closer with every passing second, a reminder how limited their time was together. One day, only one day was all he was granted. No more, no less. He wouldn’t complain when it was a gift he may never receive again in his lifetime. Accepting with gratitude, Waver kept what was given to him by the grace of fate alone.

“I’ve missed you.”

Those were the first words spoken upon seeing him. They felt far too honest and foreign on his tongue, but he wanted to put inhibition to rest. If this would be their only meeting, he wanted to make every minute count to the fullest. Truthfully, he did not care what they did during their time. He would have been content with merely talking, doing nothing at all, telling Iskandar about how different the world was without him in it. Seeing him again was more than enough.

He tried to smile more, complain less – It might have been taken extra effort on his part, but it was never forced. His happiness was genuine as he sat beside his former Servant, his friend upon the open sands, eyes turned the ocean. It wasn’t possible for his wish to fully become reality, but he wanted Iskandar’s to be. Whether it was remembered, whether it would only be a fleeting memory bound to the soul of the man he had met all those years ago; he would obtain that dream for him regardless.

Fingers dug into the sand, spilling over his knuckles as he sunk further. It was cool to the touch unlike it had been during the afternoon. Iskandar’s feet had small blisters from running barefoot upon hot sand, too impulsive and impatient to wear sandals. It brought a smile to his lips as he watched Iskandar flail and stomp through the water to soothe his feet. He would hold every detail to memory, remember it in the lonely days to come.

The sun had already fallen below the horizon, night taking over the day. It had grown quiet between them as the hours went by, both admiring the ocean with the moon’s reflection upon its waters. It was serene… “Is it what you had hoped for?” Waver broke the silence, breathing in the scent of sea salt and sunscreen. A low hum resounded next to him, a pause while the other gave his question thought. He wasn’t expecting an elaborate answer nor did he plan to hear anything at all. The lack of conversation wasn’t uncomfortable. If anything, he didn’t mind it. It felt as if Iskandar had never left, as if the man had gone on an extended vacation and had only returned for a visit, easily picking up where they had left off. There were few people he could speak to like this.

A heavy hand found the top of his head, resting there for no more than a second before pulling away. It had Waver feeling like he was nineteen again. In a war where he was well in over his head, angry and believing he was entitled to respect. He disliked the person he had been, but it was the person from his past that became the man he was today. Resented himself, but he did not regret. He would not have a King beside him if he had done things differently.

Swallowing down the heaviness in his chest, he inclined his head to the other man. Their last minutes together were approaching. There was still much he wanted to tell him, but perhaps it did not matter what he said or what they did. He… His throat ran dry, an ache he suppressed when he watched the man begin to fade into gold. He… He hadn’t felt this happy in years. Hand outstretched to Iskandar’s fading silhouette, he heard that boisterous laughter one last time, that toothy smile he would remember for the rest of his days.

It was a bittersweet reunion, but it was something. It was enough.


End file.
